Salem Church
Banks' Ford
Virginia Civil War

American Civil War
May 3-4, 1863

After occupying Marye's Heights on May 3, Sedgwick's VI Corps marched out on the Plank Road with the objective of reaching US General Joseph Hooker's force at Chancellorsville. He was delayed by Wilcox's brigade of CSA General Jubal Early's force at Salem Church.

During the afternoon and night, Lee detached two of his divisions from the Chancellorsville lines and marched them to Salem Church.

Several Union assaults were repulsed the next morning with heavy casualties, and the Confederates counterattacked, gaining some ground.

After dark, Sedgwick withdrew across two pontoon bridges at Scott's Dam under a harassing artillery fire.

Hearing that Sedgwick had been repulsed, Hooker abandoned the campaign, recrossing on the night of May 5-6 to the north bank of the Rappahannock.

Fredericksburg Area Map of Battles

Click to enlarge Map

Fighting Joe Hooker
Union general Joseph Hooker assumed command of an army demoralized by defeat and diminished by desertion. Acting swiftly, the general reorganized his army, routed corruption among quartermasters, improved food and sanitation, and boosted morale by granting furloughs and amnesties. The test of his military skill came in the battle of Chancellorsville. It was one of the Union Army's worst defeats

Jeb Stuart and the Confederate Defeat at Gettysburg
Warren C. Robinson reassesses the historical record to come to a clearer view of Stuart's orders for the crucial battle (as well as what was expected of him), of his actual performance, and of the impact his late arrival had on the outcome of the campaign.

Kindle AvailableRobert E. Lee
This book not only offers concise detail but also gives terrific insight into the state of the Union and Confederacy during Lee's life. Lee was truly a one of kind gentleman and American, and had Virginia not been in the south or neutral, he ultimately would have led the Union forces.

Kindle AvailableNathan Bedford Forrest's Escort And Staff
The CSA escort company and staff officers of Nathan Bedford Forrest were held in awe by men on both sides of the conflict during the war and long after, and they continue to be held in esteem as figures as legendary as Forrest himself. Not merely guards or couriers, these men were an elite force who rode harder and fought more fiercely than any others

Kindle AvailableNathan Bedford Forrest: A Biography
Nathan Bedford Forrest was one of the most interesting figures from the mid-19th Century. He was also one of the most controversial -- given his role as Confederate cavalryman, Fort Pillow, and the rise of the first KKK

CUSTER: The Controversial Life of George Armstrong Custer
After graduating last in his class at West Point, he rose to become the Union's youngest general on the strength of his flamboyance and military genius. Next came 12 years of checkered service in the American West, ending with the famous massacre at Little Bighorn